Even though I happen to hate shopping, I sometimes find myself in a mall needing a small item that I need relatively quickly or a last minute Christmas gift for one of my family members that I inevitably have forgotten. While I may occasionally do this, I would say the majority of my shopping happens exclusively online and usually from the comfort of my own home. This is one of the biggest factors behind the decline in shopping at malls and in-person retail. The sheer availability and generally better pricing options available online give consumers so many substitutes for different products that it makes shopping online easier and cheaper than shopping in person. Another luxury offered by online shopping is the almost unlimited availability of products. Even if an online store doesn't have a product in stock, there's a very good chance that some other online retailer has the product in stock and available for purchase. Finally, Internet retailers do not have to bear the high overhead costs associated with maintaining a store and paying employees to operate it, as well as the loss prevention costs associated with retail sales. While online retailers must pay logistics chains to move their products across the country, they don't have the added costs of a retail business providing consumers with inventory on the shelves. Store storage is also a big issue and creates a relationship with the idea of ​​limited quantities of the products they sell. Having said all this, it's impossible to say that malls are doomed as the market shifts towards Internet sales. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay With the rise of Internet sales and the dramatic decline in shopping malls in recent years, it is very difficult to argue that malls and retail shopping in the traditional sense will disappear. The simple convenience of being able to walk into a store and walk out a few minutes later with the item you were looking for is unmatched online. Another advantage that shopping centers will always have over online shopping is the ability to preview a product before purchasing it. I don't know how many golfers would order a set of clubs they've never tried before, since feel is such an important thing in the game of golf. That said, it's much easier to walk into a Dick's Sporting Goods (for example) and swing a few sets of irons than it is to order a set online, try them on, and then return them in a shipped box if they weren't what you happened to be looking for in that set. The idea of ​​sizing for clothes or shoes also comes to mind, many different brands have sizes that fit everyone a little differently, so the ability to go to somewhere like a shopping mall and try on a number of different sizes in one shoe you may want to buy is very important Although companies like Zappos have attractive offers like free return shipping, if there is a chance to try on the right size the first time and walk out a few minutes later, I would be willing to spend a few dollars on more than waiting almost a week for a return and reissue process to have a different size shoe delivered to my house. It is these benefits that will keep malls and in-person retail shopping alive in this country. My favorite mall is probably Palisades in West Nyack, New York. It's very close to my grandmother's house and is definitely still open and standing..